There is always a reason to travel! And last week’s special gastronomic experience organised by The Maltese Tourism Authority and the Michelin Guide reminded me that a trip to Malta is long overdue. It’s been quite a few years since I’ve been there to document the traditional food scene of the island, and after the Michelin Four Hands event, it’s time to return – especially since Malta now has 5 Michelin stars restaurants and 31 other high-quality restaurants mentioned in the third edition of the Malta Michelin Guide for their fantastic contribution to the innovative gastronomy of the island.
The event took place at SO|LA, a Michelin star restaurant in London, the flavours of the island being highlighted in a fantastic tasting menu created by Chef Victor Garvey, the patron of SO|LA, and chef Victor Borg, the patron of Under Grain in Malta.
About SO|LA
SO|LA is a high-end Michelin star restaurant in Soho, with an intimate atmosphere in an elegant and bright space. The concept of the restaurant is to bring the taste and sunshine of California to Soho, one of the most vibrant London neighbourhoods. The name of the restaurant is an abbreviation of this exact concept: SOho meets LA.
About the Chefs
Michelin star chefs Victor Garvey and Victor Borg met in this unique collaboration to celebrate Malta’s gastronomic scene and the launch of the Malta Michelin Guide.
Victor Garvey started his career in his family’s restaurant’s kitchen in Barcelona, when he was only 15. He perfected his skill in highly acclaimed kitchens all over the world, from Los Angeles to Tokyo, from Copenhagen to Las Vegas. In 2019 he opened SO|LA, and in 2021 he won his first Michelin star.
Victor Borg fell in love with cooking when he was only a teenager, and by the age of 15, he already knew that he was going to be a chef. He trained in Malta as well as Switzerland, before starting to work in Michelin star kitchens. He was awarded his first Michelin star just five months after opening Under Grain restaurant in Malta.
The Menu
The menu of the evening consisted of a delightful six-course tasting selection of both chefs’ signature dishes, with Maltese influences. The dishes were paired with exclusive wines, flown in specially from Malta for this event.
The Experience
The experience started with a California 75 cocktail, a delightful, refreshing drink made with aloe vera liquor, gin, champagne, lemon juice and sugar syrup.
The first course was a baked gougère, a cheese puff made with a 24 month aged Vacche Rosse Parmesan. The choux pastry was soft, with a melt-in-your-mouth centre and a rich, almost sweet taste of the aged parmesan. The paired wine was a Maltese sparkling blanc de blanc, Cassar de Malte “Long Lees” vintage from 2014.
It was followed by a barquette of creamed cauliflower, coconut, and smoked eel, topped with a cheese crumble. This dish was so delicate, both in presentation and taste. The presentation made me think of the seaside and the black mussel shells scattered along the beach. The dish looked just like one of those shells.
The third bite before the mains, was a mille-feuille of wagyu beef tartare inside a potato tuile, topped with N25 caviar. I can’t even explain how much flavour there was in this little bite. It was both salty and sweet, with a wonderful delicate crunch.
The first main was pure art and probably my favourite dish of the evening. The Ike-Jime is a Japanese technique of preparing fish in a way that preserves its freshness, flavour and texture, allowing the flesh to develop a deep umami flavour. The Hamachi fish was served alongside a crunchy roll made from soybean flower stuffed with leeks, an incredible light and tangy avocado mouse, and a selection of Asian vegetables such as edamame beans and tiny mushrooms. This course was paired with an American Riesling from the State of New York, Hermann J. Weimer “HJW Bio” from 2017.
The following course was another story on the plate, inspired by the abundant seafood in Malta: mussels three ways – a dish created to be eaten in a certain order. The first was a mussels custard with fine-cut vegetables finished with a punchy gorgonzola cream and fresh mint oil. It was followed by a crunchy, salty mussels crisp. The last element of the dish was the “salad”, pickled mussels, fine shallots, carrot, fennel, orange and cardamon, enclosed under a delicate passion fruit and seaweed jelly top. This course was paired with a Maltese Chardonnay from 2019, Jean Parisot.
The third main dish of the evening was a showstopper: the Scotting langoustine set on volcanic rocks was drizzled with liquor and flambee in front of us. It was served alongside a foie gras and wild mushroom-filled tortellini, braised quail egg, crispy Cavolo Nero and a daikon and ginger dashi. The wine paired with this course was the Californian Holus Bolus, from 2020.
The meat dish was lamb, with two different cuts barbecued, served with a garnish of stuffed courgette flower. This dish brought me back to Malta and inspired me to book another trip to this beautiful island. The courgette flower was stuffed with Maltese cherry tomatoes and the local Gbejniet sheep cheese. On the side of the plate there was also a palette cleanser, a refreshing jelly made from tomato water, white soya and yuzu. The lamb dish was paired with a Maltese red bled of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from 2018, Grezz. As Malta has a hot Mediterranean climate, it produces great whites, but very few reds. The Grezz was bold and spicy, with notes of blackcurrant and pepper.
The dessert was so special! Made with the ethical produced Millot 74% chocolate, peanut, caramel and passion fruit, the dessert looked like a solar system on a plate. Or, even a chemistry molecule chart, allowing the flavours to complement each other in such a fantastic way. The deep, dark chocolate taste was balanced by the tangy passion fruit, which was sweetened by the peanut. Perfection!
The dessert was paired with a 20 year old fortified Grenache, from Banished, coming from the McLaren Vale in Australia.
This fantastic Michelin experience finished with a selection of mignardises, bite-size desserts consisting of rose water-infused babas, marshmallows covered in cocoa and nuts, and orange and saffron jellies.
Like it? Pin it!
Disclaimer: Some of the links on this website are “affiliate links.” This means that if you click on the link and do a purchase, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost for you. This helps me keep my website running and continue to share my travelling knowledge with you. I thank you for booking your flights or hotels using the links on my website. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.
Wow! That is definitely a wonderful experience. The food looks good too! I would love to try the dessert. I agree with you that it looks like a solar system on a plate. Fascinating. 🙂